Supreme Court Prosecutor Simeon Rwagasore has announced
that over 5,000 genocide suspects will be tried this
year, compared to 300 last year, the Rwanda News Agency
reported. The move is aimed at resolving the problem
of Rwanda's overcrowded prisons. Rwagasore urged the
government to help the judiciary in its work. He was
speaking after a meeting last week between public prosecutors
and Prime Minister Pierre Celestin Rwigema. The premier
said one of the government's major concerns was that
the genocide trials be speeded up.

Gitarama reported calm after rebel infiltration

Fighting in central Gitarama prefecture was reported
under control, after rebels infiltrated the area last
week. Deputy Commander of the Gitarama-Kibuye brigade,
Colonel Karenzi Karake told RNA on Saturday life had
now returned to normal, although mopping-up operations
were still continuing in some communes to crush the
remaining Interahamwe militiamen scattered in forests,
swamps and hills of the Ndiza region. The rebels had
been cut off from returning to their hideouts in Gisenyi
and Ruhengeri prefectures. Some of the 80 prisoners,
freed by the rebels in Nyakabanda commune, had started
to return, RNA reported.

Genocide suspect rearrested in US

A Hutu cleric and genocide suspect has been rearrested
in the US, after an American court set him free last
year saying his detention was unconstitutional, the
'EastAfrican' weekly reported today. The Reverend Elizaphan
Ntakirutimana has been called to stand trial by the
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).
A State Department official, explaining the re-arrest,
said: "We believe that the law and the facts support
surrender for trial."

BURUNDI: Airline boss arrested for bribe-taking

The director-general of the national airline, Air Burundi,
has been arrested for taking bribes, Burundi radio
reported on Friday. It quoted Transport Minister Venerand
Nzohabonayo as saying the case was now in the hands
of the judiciary. The minister added that Air Burundi
was currently undergoing financial problems due to
its internal management and the regional embargo. Meanwhile,
French President Jacques Chirac is reported to have
called for lifting the sanctions on Burundi. President
Pierre Buyoya, speaking after meeting Chirac in Paris,
said the French leader "deplored" the embargo
and called for a review, AFP reported.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: UN team complains of witness
harassment

The UN human rights investigation team in DRC has complained
that two witnesses it interviewed in the northwest
Mbandaka region have been arrested, Radio France Internationale
reported. The mission also said its members were being
tailed by the authorities. However spokesman Jose Diaz
told IRIN today (Monday) the team's activities were
continuing in Mbandaka. He added that the security
situation in eastern DRC did not permit investigations
there at the moment. Team members had left for Angola
where they will interview Rwandan refugees, he said.
Refugees in the Central African Republic and Congo-Brazzaville
had already been interviewed.

Mayi-Mayi rebels said targeting Katangese soldiers

More details have come to light about the alleged killing
of 300 people by DRC soldiers in Butembo last month.
The allegations were made by the DRC human rights group
AZADHO, who said the army was retaliating against the
temporary occupation of the town by rebel Mayi-Mayi
fighters. AZADHO deputy chairman Pascal Kabale told
Radio France Internationale on Friday the fact the
Mayi-Mayi were now attacking Katangese soldiers, who
make up most of the army in the Butembo area, was a
new development as they had previously targeted Tutsis
whom they regard as "foreigners". According
to Kabale, the Mayi-Mayi had accused the DRC soldiers
of "molesting the people". This included
"torture, degrading acts and even summary executions",
he said. Local sources told IRIN today civilian victims
had been buried in mass graves by the military. Butembo
is under curfew and very tense as the Mayi-Mayi have
reportedly threatened to attack again.

'Le Soft International' seized at airport

Copies of the international edition of the independent
newspaper 'Le Soft' were seized at Kinshasa airport
last week, reportedly because the paper was carrying
an article on fresh unrest in eastern DRC. According
to AFP, 'Le Soft International', which is distributed
in Europe, has been seized four times in the past eight
months. It is run by Kin-Kiey Mulumba who was information
minister under ousted president Mobutu Sese Seko.

Kabila discusses "minor border frictions"
in Bangui

President Laurent-Desire Kabila has had talks in Bangui
with his CAR counterpart Ange-Felix Patasse to discuss
"minor frictions" on the border between the
two countries, DRC radio in Bunia reported. Kabila
stopped off in Bangui on Thursday on his return from
a summit meeting in Mozambique.

Kabila meets EU envoy

On Saturday, Kabila met the EU special envoy for the
Great Lakes region Aldo Ajello in Kinshasa, according
to DRC television. They discussed the EU's contribution
to DRC's process of democratisation. Ajello announced
that the EU had appointed a unit to handle the process
and approved a financial package to help it along.

NGO says food shortages could be avoided

An NGO operating in northern DRC has pointed out that
the region of Dungu-Doruma on the border with Sudan
is agriculturally under-developed because of the appalling
infrastructure. Terre sans Frontieres said the region
had agricultural potential which could easily be developed.
If the roads were maintained, the region could produce
enough to relieve food shortages in Sudan and contribute
towards the development of northern DRC and southern
Sudan.

SUDAN: Bashir reshuffles cabinet

President Omar al-Bashir has reshuffled his cabinet
and created a new ministry for international cooperation
and investment. According to Sudanese television, the
reshuffle includes new defence, interior and justice
ministers. AFP noted the reshuffle brings in ex-SPLA
rebel Lam Akol as transport minister and includes two
northern opponents.

UGANDA: Museveni says western aid encourages dependency

President Yoweri Museveni, addressing a meeting of international
investors in Addis Ababa yesterday (Sunday), accused
the West of encouraging dependency in Africa by continuing
to provide aid to "dead economies", Reuters
reported. "Aid causes dependency and dependency
is slavery," he said. Despite three decades of
western aid, there was no country in Africa where citizens
led very comfortable lives. "That is proof that
the aid policy is wrong for Africa," Museveni
said. He criticised the IMF and World Bank for seeking
to force the implementation of structural reforms in
Africa without trying to understand different African
economies, Reuters said. He called instead for politically
educating Africans "to understand abuse by their
governments".

Political parties demand freedom to operate

Political parties in Uganda are demanding the freedom
to conduct their activities ahead of a visit by US
President Bill Clinton, according to Gabonese radio.
Its correspondent in the region noted that the Ugandan
constitution approves the existence of parties but
bans their activities. Political parties are organising
a conference two weeks before Clinton's visit this
month "to remind the US president that multiparty
politics in Uganda is not dead," the radio said.

Rebels kill 29

Rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) used axes
and pangas to hack 29 people to death in the northern
Gulu district, the state-owned 'New Vision' reported
on Saturday. The killings occurred in various parts
of the district over the last week, it said.

Police allegedly abducting refugees

The Ugandan human rights commission said on Friday it
was investigating allegations that police were abducting
Rwandan and DRC refugees. AFP quoted a member of the
commission as saying the motive of the abductions had
not yet been established. The chief of external security
organisation Philip Idri denied the police were behind
the abductions of four named people. "People accuse
us of this because they think we support Rwanda, but
our first concern is law and order," he said.

Charter flights to remote northern regions

United Airlines of Uganda has launched special charter
flights to Adjumani, Arua, Moyo and Pakuba in the north
of the country. Ugandan radio said the flights would
operate daily from Entebbe airport. Tourism Minister
Brigadier Moses Ali said the move would help people
in the West Nile region who suffered from severe transport
problems.

ANGOLA: UNITA announces complete demobilisation

The former rebel UNITA movement has announced a complete
demobilisation of its forces by the middle of this
month. A statement broadcast by UNITA radio on Friday,
said a "special and final demobilisation operation"
would take place in some 15 locations between 11-15
March and UNITA generals would be demobilised in Bailundo
between 16-19 March. UNITA leaders would enter Luanda
on 31 March following the demobilisation, the final
deadline for implementation of the 1994 Lusaka peace
accord.

KENYA: New tax measures condemned

Kenyan press reports said new tax measures introduced
by the government last week have been greeted with
"almost unanimous condemnation". The 'Daily
Nation' said businessmen, politicians and ordinary
citizens alike described the tax increases on fuel
and VAT as "harsh, punitive and brutal".
The newspaper said the prices of most commodities would
rise as a result of the tax changes, introduced to
offset a rising budget deficit.

CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE: Weapons still prevail in Brazzaville

UNICEF says despite the government's efforts to disarm
militiamen and others holding illegal weapons, the
prevalence of arms in Brazzaville and elsewhere in
the country is still widespread. Young members of the
Cobras, Ninjas and other militias are refusing to hand
in their weapons, particularly as many of them have
not been integrated into the national army. Minister
of Labour and Social Security Jean-Martin Mbemba was
wounded when armed bandits broke into his house just
north of Brazzaville. His driver and a bodyguard were
shot and killed.

Nairobi, 9 March 1998, 14:15 gmt

[ENDS]

[The material contained in this communication comes
to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit,
but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United
Nations or its agencies. UN IRIN Tel: +254 2 622123
Fax: +254 2 622129 e-mail: irin@dha.unon.org for more
information or subscriptions. If you re-print, copy,
archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit
and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include
attribution to the original sources. IRIN reports are
archived on the WWW at: http://www.reliefweb.int/emergenc
or can be retrieved automatically by sending e-mail
to archive@dha.unon.org. Mailing list: irin-cea-updates]